Apartment features that can make or break your love life
Nobody ever said cohabiting was easy, especially when you can't hide from each other on separate floors of a large suburban house. No matter how much you love each other, sometimes, the object of your affection is just going to be underfoot.
That doesn't mean you can't stack the odds in your favor, though, opting for an apartment with features that'll minimize the risk of couple fights (or quiet, seething resentment). Read on for features to skip—and seek out—to help keep your relationship afloat:
Corcoran
BREAK: An en-suite bathroom. Convenient, yes, but do you really want to hear (and smell) everything your S.O. is doing in the bathroom when you're lazing in bed? Unlikely.
MAKE: His and hers sinks. An instant solution to any arguments about use of counter space, or who gets to brush their teeth first. Plus, if you do have an en-suite bathroom, more faucets to keep running while you're in there.
BREAK: An accommodating doorman. We've been told that legions of doormen across the city are working overtime to keep residents' affairs secret. Great if you're the one cheating, sure, but not exactly promising for your longevity as a couple.
MAKE: An on-site super. Why nag your partner to fix the sink when you can nag the person who gets paid to be your handyman?
BREAK: A real fireplace. Romantic in theory, until you deal with the mess of ash and the bugs lurking in that pile of wood, and one of you has to figure out how to work the flue.
MAKE: A fake fireplace. An artificial fireplace (with real flames) like the ones from Hearth Cabinet runs on gel cartridges instead of traditional burning logs. No muss, no fuss, no waiting up past bedtime to make sure all the embers have gone out.
Town Residential
BREAK: A galley kitchen. Yes, it can be nice to hole up in the kitchen for privacy, but the second you both want to make toast and tea at the same time? Your partner's very presence in your cramped little kitchen becomes an affront.
MAKE: An open kitchen (with breakfast bar seating). What you lose in privacy you make up for in the ability to stay out of each others' way and keep whoever's on cooking duty company while you sit at the bar sipping a glass of wine.
BREAK: Old, creaky floors. The kind that make it impossible to get up without making a racket, and rousing even the soundest sleepers. Nothing says "romance" like feeling stuck in your own bed.
MAKE: Heated floors. These don't necessarily have a specific romance-related utility, per se, but how can you commit when you've got cold feet?
Related:
6 building gyms that'll help you keep your fitness resolutions
Shacking up: the do's and don'ts of cohabiting for the first time
A holiday tipping calculator that uses your doorman's happiness as a guide
